


Live Free

by LookingGlasstothePast



Category: One Piece
Genre: Dad and Son bonding, Familial Reconciliation, Fluff, Gen, Post-Marineford
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 08:52:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8243521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LookingGlasstothePast/pseuds/LookingGlasstothePast
Summary: No one tells you what to expect when the sand finally runs out, and above everything, Ace wasn't expecting to come face to face with the man he hated. But maybe there was a good reason that he was the one to show up at those golden gates.





	

The sudden pain was something that he couldn't have believed would happen to him, his goodbyes and thanks....he couldn't tell them to everyone he wanted to, but knew that Luffy would carry them on to where they needed to go. There was so much he had wanted to do....but the time for regrets was just about to pass.   
  
The light that welcomed him was warm, feeling almost like the touch of family, the hand of one of his brothers, of Garp, Dadan, Makino... Was this what his mother's felt like? Was this her warm touch that welcomed him in? His eyelids felt so heavy, cumbersome and hard to open, though he tried to after a few moments of bathing in the light and heat. It wasn't like he was expecting anything to greet him when he 'woke,' but to see the face of the man that everyone feared, the man he'd claimed to hate... It almost angered Ace.  
  
"Did you live freely, my son?"  
  
That was a phrase that he wasn't expecting from the man that probably knew just how many times the boy before him had cursed his name and turned his back on him. And instead of anger on the man's face, his lips were turned into a soft smile, eyes filled with sorrow, not pity. It was like he felt guilty for all that had happened, for putting such a burden on his shoulder, for taking him away from the truest love he had ever had...   
  
"Live....freely?"  
  
"It was all I wanted for you. To live freer than anyone else,"   
  
And here, the Pirate King himself paused, turning away some.   
  
"Even if you hated me with all of your heart."  
  
Ace's heart ached some at the words, he knew he'd be putting a brother, a lover, a young child through the same pain that he had to endure growing up. Everywhere, people would be talking about the death of Portgas D. Ace, and what a monster he was, giving his tiny daughter the same hatred that he had once carried about.   
  
"And I know you hated me."  
  
Again his father spoke, but this time he turned back, hands settling on his shoulders.  
  
"Never were you blamed for that. You are my son, my most valuable treasure...You fought bravely and lived kindly, holding your friends and your family higher than your self. You were reckless, but passionate about what you believed in, and not only battled for your sake, but for the sake of people whom you trusted in and loved. And because of that, you've changed the lives of so many."  
  
A breath, and he could see the smile that he'd inherited, the wide grin that could only describe pure, breathless joy, the face he made when reading the letter and looking over the picture that proclaimed the birth of his own daughter.  
  
"I am so proud of the man you made yourself to be, coming from the destruction that I had to leave behind for you."  
  
And for once, there wasn't hatred burning in Ace's heart for his father. It was a strange feeling, but one that brought a bit of a smile to his face.  
  
"Thank you....Father..."  
  
Finally, he could say he meant those words, though, something still felt wrong, something that he couldn't place, though he wanted to terribly.   
  
"What's going to happen to them?"  
  
"The kid? Your daughter? That lover of yours? They'll get stronger. No one's going to forget you, kid. Already said this. You changed lives."  
  
Another small smile, a soft laugh, and all Ace knows know is he's being tugged along by his father. 

"It's time to relax now. You did a lot in twenty years."

**Author's Note:**

> I always felt there needed to be some moment that father and son could look eye to eye and have everything come to light, and though this isn't everything, I think it's a good starting point. The title and Roger's first few lines were taken from a doujin, where the quote for him was "Live more free than anyone, even if you hate me."
> 
> It had such a warm feeling to it in the scene.


End file.
